(1) Field of the Invention
The invention of these devices relates to the protection of various body parts from damaging moisture or other contaminants, during bathing procedures, normal daily activities, or other uses when the wearer wishes an area to be kept clean, dry or protected, usually involving an injury covered by, but not limited to casts, dressings or the use of sutures, surgical staples, rashes, wounds, amputations, vaccines, IVs, tattoos, etc. The clear plastic, disposable, but re-usable devices, elasticized at the openings, are simply designed for single-handed application and contain no additionally attached or unattached straps, ties or closures. These devices are not limited to medical uses for personal injuries or situations, but may be used by individuals for personal protection to prevent a non-injured area of concern from being exposed to harmful fluids or other contaminants, including, but not limited to body fluids, such as in emergency situations involving injured individuals, animals, etc.
(2) Description of Related Art
While there are other waterproof coverings for casts or wound dressings primarily intended for bathing purposes, such as is indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,919 Silverberg, U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,183 Hill and U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,151 Rankin et. al., this invention can be used effectively not only for that purpose, but also as a barrier for wound or skin protection from other contaminants or air-borne pollutants, and not limited to medical situations.
A typical form of water-resistant protection for a cast or dressing is the use of a garbage bag or plastic grocery bag, tied, rubber-banded or taped at the opening in an attempt to create a waterproof covering. Even in hospitals, wound dressings are often occluded with stretchable plastic wrap, normally used as a food container covering. Again, tape is often used to seal the edges in an attempt to make the area airtight or waterproof. Frequently, these methods are ineffective at best and potentially harmful to the wearer at worst and render the item useless after a single use. Not only are these items not manufactured to be waterproof coverings for injuries, which often leak between layers or gathers near the openings, but also the wearer could suffer skin abrasions or allergies from the adhesive used to close the opening around the area of concern, compounding the original problem.
These methods are ineffective as well as time-consuming, and must require at least two hands for application, often needing the help of a second party.
Available or patented cast protectors are generally made from a heavy plastic or vinyl sheeting, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,183 Hill, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,919 Silverberg, and are meant for re-use for the duration of convalescence of the wearer, thus making the product quite costly.
This invention is made from polyethylene sheeting with thickness of approximately, but not limited to, 1.5 mil, providing durability, strength and stretchability as well as affordability. While these items may be re-used, even for the duration of the injury, they are intended to be disposable, encouraging the wearer to replace the item several times during the length of needed use. This is preferable to the same item being used over and over indefinitely, thus running both the risk of damage, which could lead to the wearer attempting to repair a damaged item and promoting possible leakage and damage to the cast or dressing, possibly causing a setback in recovery, as well as the probability that an item used in water so frequently will begin to harbor mildew and bacteria, which could be injurious to the wearer.
Prior art contains various and even complicated means of closure for the open end of the protective device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,220 Bellasalma mentions a “foam-like cushioned band secured to the member with adhesive and a flexible collar mounted to the cushioned band which will overlap and be secured by a combination of hooks and loops (Velcro). A similar closure is used in U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,183, Hill. Such closures can result in the gathering of excess sleeve material, creating a waterpath, as suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,151 Rankin et. al. Furthermore, the use of such a closure prohibits flexibility with the movement of the limb, which would result either in significant leakage or the inconvenient re-adjustment during use.
Elastic is also used as a common closure for protective wear. Often, it is used as a strip, wrapped around the limb, similar to the use of a tourniquet as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,151, Hill. Another example of a tourniquet effect is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,919 Silverberg. Rather than using a more than 360′ wrap, as disclosed in the Hill description, elastic straps are positioned in several parallel bands covered with plastic strips, except for an area in the front and the back of the protective covering. In that particular patented design, these open areas are to be adjusted with a ‘dumbbell’ type object to be inserted in the loops in the ends of the elastic bands, and twisted around several times until it cannot be twisted further. Both of these methods of using elastic could be extremely harmful to the wearer if overtightened or left on too long, particularly by those wearers with diseases, such as diabetes, who have circulatory problems.
A flange is used in G.K. Guinzburg's U.S. Pat. No. 2,244,871 for a waterproof protective device. The flange described by Guinzburg indicates the piece is either cut from a flat rubber or latex material, which is no longer considered an acceptable material for medical concerns, and ‘vulcanized’ to the body of the protective device, or integrated into the device by molded design. Guinzburg states that the inner circumference or ‘length’ of the flange is less than the length of the edge, presuming this pertains to circumference, and indicating this piece is of a certain width to accommodate the difference in circumference. Guinzburg also indicates tat the flange is located a distance from the edge or opening of his device which would permit pooling at the opening. He also states that more than one flange can be present, allowing up to three flanges to be incorporated into the design if necessary. According to Frank Vincent Carlopio, U.S. Pat. No. 7,020,899, “this kind of sealing mechanism is vulnerable to loosening with perspiration from exercise, is vulnerable to pressure from an external fluid, and concentrates the sealing force on a relatively narrow area, which would have a tendency to restrict the blood flow.” Guinzburg also states that the ‘flange fits in downwardly extending position’ which would encourage pooling water to enter the area to be protected.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,727, David H. Chambers cites using elastic encased at the opening of his east protector. The elastic is encased in the fabric of Chambers'invention by method of sewing. However, the invention described by Chambers is not used for bathing purposes or medical purposes and is not made from water resistant polymeric material, for which sewing would not be a method of choice. Therefore, Chambers'invention is not meant to protect an area of concern from moisture damage.
Additionally, each prior example requires the excess edge of the sleeve covering to rise above the elastic, forming a lip or cupped edge which would collect water during the process of bathing, and lead to considerable seepage during removal of the protector.
Concerning prior art of similar type foot designs, U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,557 Lennon, shows a podiatry boot made in the shape of a boot with an adhesive closure at the open edge. While it is made of similar type disposable materials as the present invention, the boot shape itself would limit the size of the foot to be covered. The opening would then be wrapped around the leg above the ankle, folding in the excess, and the ends of the folded areas would be secured with adhesive.
Adhesive is also used in U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,151 Rankin, et. al. as it is attached to an elastic strap to be wound around the opening of the protector and adhered or ‘stuck’ into position. In both cases, if the position is not accurate the first time, the adhesive either would damage the protector during its removal and readjustment or it would lose its ability to stick effectively on a second attempt, rendering it useless for its intended purpose, or after only a single use. Furthermore, should the adhesive contact water or other contaminant prior to bonding with the receiving material, the seal would not take hold in the initial attempt and could never be used as intended.
The current invention (my invention) involves the use of circular elastic bands at the open edges. The strength and stretch-ability of the bands provide a snug, but comfortable fit for the wearer, preventing water seepage. Located at the open edge of the device, each piece contains either a single band, mostly for arm or long term wear items, or double bands placed parallel and separated by a space, mostly for the leg items. These bands are attached in such manner that allows the elastic to be positioned in the interior of the finished device. Placed in this manner, these bands allow both single-handed application for the wearer and the flexibility to conform to the movement of the limb. There is no need for adjustment, since the band relies on its ‘memory’ ability to stretch and return, and there is no need for concern of over-tightening. Additionally, the placement of the elastic prevents water seepage and the double band design allows for added protection if needed, allowing the casing of the inner band to serve as a ledge or ‘catcher’ for seepage.
The size of the opening of the present invention is reasonably larger than an average limb size, but not excessive, such as with a garbage bag, which eliminates the possibility of deep gathers caused by the elastic, thus eliminating the chance of leakage. The elastic is of a content known for its memory, therefore stretching beyond the circumference of the opening, but returning to its original size, which allows the item to be re-used.
The simple design of these items would allow similar items to be made in like manner for other parts of the body, such as the torso.